


What Good Are Shadows When There Is No Sun

by PeterPanHasDied



Category: Descendants (2015), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Panic Attacks, Romance, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-05 10:37:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11576355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeterPanHasDied/pseuds/PeterPanHasDied
Summary: Maybe my arms want to be happy. Maybe my legs want to run. Instead they lay there unknowingly as my core wastes away and my brain fills itself with awful, awful things.





	1. The Shadow of Tears

_Have you ever seen the shadow of tears, Mr. Wind-up Bird?_  
_They’re nothing like ordinary shadows._  
_Nothing at all._

_-Haruki Murakami_

* * *

The loud buzzer of the old washing machine echoed throughout the entire, empty mansion. Hell Hall was surprisingly silent, and the only sounds it made on laundry day was of the dryer opening and closing, the knob turning, and Cruella’s four loads of clothes being transported back and forth from laundry room to the suite upstairs. Carlos always, always saved his clothes for washing last, just in case his mother decided to appear early, and if her clothes weren’t hung and dry, he would pay dearly for it. 

He carried her dresses and stockings to his room where the ironing board was. There was a long list of chores that needed to be done but he’d managed to cut down on that time by nearly a quarter with his new inventions. The Broomba was cleaning downstairs while he ironed Cruella’s dresses and undergarments while his own clothes were soaking in the Stain Removal Unit, but he had yet to think of a clever name for that one.

She would be returning on Sunday, which meant he had about 15 more hours of quiet. His anxiety had been spiking recently mostly because of his mother’s tendency to go absolutely crazy. A shudder ran through him and his teeth chattered nervously. He’d been forced to attend Dragon Hall all last week despite showcasing two black eyes and all everyone did was congratulate him on a fight well-done. A fight that never happened, and a fight that was completely one-sided.

Jay patted him on the back, Mal smirked proudly at him, and Evie was the only one who really seemed to question the situation. She walked over to his house last week after his mother left to the Spa to send him a little gift basket of makeup, he assumed it was to hide the bruises. He didn’t really know how to use any of it so he didn’t bother but he stored them away safely just in case. 

Carlos thought of the fight.

It was after a particularly challenging day at school. He’d tripped while running the length of the tombs during gym and scraped his knees up bad. Because of that there was a rumor being spread around about him giving blowjobs behind the statue of Evil Dragon Maleficent. All day there were boys coming up to him commissioning him, some serious and some not. It was humiliating and it lasted for a good four classes before Mal finally caught wind of it and put it to a stop. Then when he returned home he had achy knees and was yelled at by his mother for not fluffing her coats correctly the night before. He’d yelled back for the first time and that’s when he was beaten for the second time too.

Cruella’s form of abuse had always been verbal, it rarely ever escalated to physical violence but lately that’s all she seemed to do. As if treating him like a slave and making him live in her closet wasn’t enough she’d went and hit him. It had happened only once in 6th grade when he landed himself in one of her security bear traps and gotten blood all over her coat closet, but now it came again. His anxiety could not be worse. His hands shook when she was home and he could barely get his own school work done. He’d completely given up on Selfishness 101, Evil Schemes and Enrichment. Now the only class he could completely lose himself in these days was Weird Science.

Carlos moved the iron to-and-fro over the garment of clothing absentmindedly, remembering the scene clearly from last week. 

“You’d better have a damn good reason for making my babies look like this!” Cruella screamed, tossing the drab fur coat back and forth in Carlos’ face. The fur whipped at his skin uncomfortably. “The whole market was probably laughing at me for how I looked! You damn worthless fool. What good are you if you can’t do anything right?”

Instead of feeling defeated over her words like usual he felt hot, burning anger. 

“They always laugh at you!” Carlos yelled, his mouth opened before he could stop himself. He almost never screamed so his voice came out scratchy and desperate. “Whether your coats are fluffed or not you still look like dog shit!”

Cruella’s hand had come at him before he could blink and her fists were beating in his face before he could even react. When he tried to run she just caught his clothing and pulled him back, kicking him in the ribs with her pointed heels and rendering him numb and breathless. When he returned to his closet he collapsed on his lumpy mattress and cried quietly. The next day he went to school. It was probably the worst week of his life.

He snapped out of his reverie when he smelled the scent of something burning. He looked down at the iron and watched as it blackened the material away into a gaping hole. He shrieked in terror and hurried to pull it away but the damage had already been done. It was her favorite white dress.

Carlos’ face paled, “No, no, no, please, no.” He held the fabric up to his face. The hole went straight through from one side to the other. “Stupid Carlos, you stupid, stupid, stupid, idiot.” 

He examined the fabric quietly to check if he could somehow repair it. It was plain white polyester material. All he needed was a scrap that matched and he could fix it, right?

“Think, think, think.” 

Carlos clicked the rusty iron off and left the dress where it was, checking the time. It was nearing 11:00 p.m. and Jafar’s Junk Shop would probably be closing about now but that was his best bet for used clothing. If he could just find a scrap that matched the fabric he could fix it.

He locked up the mansion and nearly ran the way to the Junk Shop. His heart was still racing and he was nearing the edge of a panic attack. If Cruella found out that he had ruined her favorite white dress he would be severely punished for sure.

His mind was so cluttered with self-deprecating thoughts that he barely heard his name being called from a distance.

“Carlos, hey!”

He skidded to a stop and looked up at a nearby building, watching as Jay maneuvered himself to the balconies and then down safely to the ground.

“Isn’t it a little late for the puppy to be out of his cage?” he asked jokingly but Carlos didn’t find it funny at all. Only for the severe fact that Cruella did refer to him as her pet and he’d just gotten a beating from her last week and he’d just ruined her favorite dress and would probably get more bruises to add to his collection just like last week and he’d have to tell everybody that his mother was just being evil, like the rest of them and nobody could do anything about it because evil was evil and he was supposed to be evil right back but he just couldn’t.

“Hey! Carlos, what’s up with you?” Jay raised his fist to punch him in the shoulder but Carlos flinched away immediately, closing his eyes and whimpering. “Carlos?” he asked, opening his hand and gently grasping his shoulder. 

Carlos immediately deflated at the heavy hand. Jay was surprisingly easy to become comfortable around. Even though he looked intimidating he was probably the only person that he’d ever felt safe with. When people were too loud or too rambunctious he could hide right behind Jay and nobody could do a thing.

“Uh, I’m-” Carlos rubbed his hands over his messy curls, frustrated, and gave a heavy sigh. “I’m fine.”

“Alright then,” Jay shrugged. He turned to walk, signaling Carlos to join him. “Wanna come to the midnight bazaar with me? I’m gonna see if I can nab some treasure for the shop so my dad will stop being a pain in the ass.”

“Actually,” he sighed and threw a thumb towards the shop’s general direction. “I was going to ask if I could look in Jafar’s shop really quick. I’m looking for something.”

Jay quirked an eyebrow up, he tilted his head curiously. “Oh yeah? Did he take something of yours again, because if he did it’s really not my fault.” 

“No, he didn’t. I’m looking for some fabric,” Carlos hesitated, “some white, polyester fabric to be exact.”

“Huh,” Jay hummed. “For one of your science-y projects or what?”

“No, just for, it’s for, I-” Carlos stuttered. “For my mom.”

Jay continued to walk in the direction of the midnight bazaar, away from the Junk Shop. Carlos followed next to him. 

“Well we don’t have a lot of fancy clothing like that.” Jay stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a stick of spearmint gum. “We did find a few packets of gum, though. I’ve had fresh breath for a week now, wanna smell?”

Carlos almost laughed, “Gross.”

Jay held out a pack of gum and tossed it to Carlos, “You can use this to trade for some fabric at the bazaar. ‘Was getting tired of the flavor anyway.”

A pang of something like gratitude struck through him. He almost felt like crying because what Jay just did very nearly felt like kindness.

“So your mom needs some fabric huh, for what exactly?” Jay asked curiously, chewing loudly on his gum as he walked. They passed by a few goblins as they ventured into the darker parts of the island. They growled at them in passing and Jay watched them apprehensively out of the corner of his eye, his hands stuffed cooly into his jacket pockets.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” he mumbled, clutching the pack of gum to his stomach like it was precious treasure.

Jay grunted once, like he sort of understood, and he probably did.

The lights of the stalls lit up the dark sky as they approached. There were very few kids out at night and more goblins trying to sell overpriced pudding or slop. The stalls were mostly food but some sold rotten fruit, broken toys and even a stall dedicated entirely to jewelry that drew Jay in right away. Carlos let him go charm the witch who ran the stall while he scoured the area for someone who was selling fabric. 

His eye scanned each stall until he finally found what he was looking for. It was tucked away in a dusty old corner and the person selling it looked like someone he would avoid while walking down an alleyway. 

The clothing was folded neatly and the items looked as clean as anything from the Isle could be. Many of them had holes but that didn’t bother Carlos too much since he only needed a scrap. A pair of slacks in the corner caught his eye. They were white and heavily stained but the material in the thighs was an almost exact match to the dress. He picked up the item and checked it thoroughly. It almost made him tear up looking at it.

“Hi?” Carlos asked but the seller did nothing. He had a white peppered beard and only one eye. The other one looked to be infected or just plain missing since he was squinting, ignoring the goo that leaked from it. Carlos did his best to overlook it like he did everything else.

“I need to trade for this,” he tried, but the man didn’t answer him. “Hello?”

“Just take it if he’s being difficult,” Jay snuck up behind him and snatched the pants and tucked it away into his jacket with the other stuff he’d stolen.

Carlos looked to see if the man had noticed, leaning a bit closer and listening as the man snored away. He had been sleeping, with one eye open, he realized.

“We can’t steal that Jay, put it back.” Carlos went to reach for the pants but Jay evaded him smoothly and began to walk away. “Jay! I’m serious.”

“When aren’t you serious?” Jay laughed softly. “Just leave the gum if you’ll feel that guilty.”

Carlos seemed to be contemplating it, but just as he’d made a decision, Jay kicked at the stall’s wooden foundation and the whole thing shook, spilling dust everywhere. The man awoke with a start and began spewing curses, his one good eye looked around wildly. Carlos quickly tossed the gum onto the man’s lap behind the stall’s table before sprinting off after a laughing Jay. 

He jogged up next to him, out of breath. “That’s not funny, I could’ve gotten in trouble.”

Jay grinned and whistled lowly, “Man, sometimes I wonder if you’re really a villain kid.”

He visibly deflated at that comment and even Jay noticed but it was too late to fix what he’d said. Instead he opened his jacket and revealed the pants. Carlos took the piece of clothing from him and hung it over his shoulder. He had done all of this just because he simply ruined an article of clothing. He lowered his head.

“You look like a kicked puppy.”

Carlos ignored the comment, wondering if Jay would ever stop referring to him as a dog. That seemed like all everyone ever seen of him and it was one of the things he hated most. Right when it felt like he was about to slip into his swarm of negative thoughts, Jay appeared back at his side with two cups of pudding in his hand and a clean spoon. Carlos looked back and noticed the pudding stall was missing a few cups. He chuckled lightly. Jay was really too good of a thief.

“You liked this kind right? I seen you eat it at lunch last week.” Jay handed over the pudding, letting Carlos’ eyes light up like it did before, except this time his eyes weren’t surrounded by dark bruises.

“You were watching me?” Carlos asked curiously.

“Well yeah, you we’re sitting right across from me.”

Carlos smiled. He wasn’t used to people actually watching him, and _seeing_ him. But Jay was doing all of that and he didn’t even know. 

“Thanks,” he dug into the pudding and as it stained his mouth he felt his worries become a little bit lighter. 

Beneath the midnight sky they both walked back to the Junk Shop where they sat on Jay’s little roll of carpet and talked for a bit before Carlos headed back with the pair of white pants and a pack of gum that Jay had returned to his pocket. Carlos wasn’t sure when he’d stolen it back but if he remembered correctly, Jay had told him that fabric for Cruella wasn’t worth a pack of gum.

Yeah, something like that.


	2. Very Tired

_I’m afraid it won’t work out tonight._  
_I’m just too sleepy right now. And very,_  
_very tired of living._

_-Tohru Fujisawa,_  
_Great Teacher Onizuka_

* * *

 

When he returned to the mansion a feeling of dread overtook his whole being. He looked up at Hell Hall, his brown doe-eyes widened and filled with fear as he seen the bright red car parked right in front. His mother had returned already; she was early. Carlos didn’t know whether to run, stay put where he was, or just give up altogether. He clutched the fabric in his hands like a safety blanket and made the journey up to the house.

It was eerily quiet. His mother wasn’t yelling about, she wasn’t screaming nor stomping around. That already was frightening enough to make him want to vomit. Carlos let himself through the door and closed it behind him as quietly as he could.

“So you’ve finally decided to return, boy?”

Cruella’s voice echoed throughout the mansion as if she was haunting the very walls.

“Mommy is very disappointed that nobody was here to welcome me home,” she clicked her tongue and Carlos looked up to see her walking down the stairs with a scarily calm look on her face. “Here, my pet,” she called. She stretched her hand out to Carlos and he scampered over to her as if he was trained to do so. Cruella settled a hand on his head and combed her fingers backward, towards his nape.

“I’m sorry Mother, I didn’t know, I thought-”

She dug her nails into his skin painfully, making Carlos let out a strangled yelp.

“Always the same excuses,” she hummed. Her words were light and airy but her actions were violent and cruel. Carlos began to shake and his breathing became more and more unstable. “Hm, and what is this?” she grabbed the white pants with two fingers and held it up in front of her. 

“I-I just liked them,” Carlos lied through his teeth and attempted to grab the fabric back but Cruella pushed him back, sending him stumbling off.

“What an awful liar you are.”

Carlos stayed quiet as Cruella inspected the pants. She even went so far as to sniff them, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Throw these out immediately. If I see you wearing these I will punish you.”

“Yes, mother.”

“And what is that smell? Have you finished with my clothes?”

“N-not yet!” Carlos cried as Cruella’s eyes flashed with fury. “I’m almost done I was just ironing your dresses!”

“So you went out shopping before you’ve finished your chores?” Cruella asked, her tone became aggressive now and she moved toward him at the speed of light. 

“Wait! No, that’s not what happened!” he moved away, his hands thrusted in front of him to keep Cruella at a distance. He tripped, falling backwards and landing hard. Cruella hovered over him with her eyes squinted and her hair standing up wildly in disarray. Her hands were poised on her hips. “Tell me what those pants were for, I know you’re lying to me,” she seethed. 

Carlos shook hard, the fear took over him and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. He rolled himself up in a ball as Cruella kicked at him once in fury and then stomped to his closet to check on the ironing. 

It was quiet for about ten seconds, and then she was in hysterics. She began to throw nearby objects in a rage.

“You imbecile!” she screeched. Her voice was loud, and booming. “You’d be better off dead you worthless scum!”

Carlos did his best to ignore her but when he heard her approach him once more he braced himself as she attacked him brutally. He grit his teeth, hiding his face but that only made her want to mess it up more.

“You did this on purpose!” She kicked and slapped but nothing hurt more than when her heels landed on one of his ribs. The wind was knocked out of him. He heaved and held his side, there was blood that splattered the floor but he couldn’t really tell where it was coming from. 

“Please, mother!” Carlos sobbed as she grabbed at his hair and dragged him across the floor by his shirt and neck. “I’ll fix it I promise! Please, stop! Please,” he begged but she’d already thrown him into his closet and locked it from the outside. He narrowly missed getting hurt by the bear traps but luckily he’d memorized every single one of their locations one-by-one. “Don’t leave me in here!”

His face was burning as he slid down to the floor in darkness. The fur coats behind him did well to cover up the lighting from his room so all he could focus on was the pain and his mother’s stomping. It sounded like she’d gone back to the front. Carlos listened carefully as he heard the door slam and a few minutes later the car started up and she left once again. 

He gave himself a couple of minutes to gain his senses back. He was feeling a little dizzy and worst of all, he could feel blood trickling from somewhere. It was either smudged from his face or his stomach, or both. 

Carlos finally lifted himself from the ground and walked to the back of the closet to the dressing room where his bed was. The comforter lay hidden in the corner underneath a basket along with his blue silk pillow that Evie gave him. He sat at the vanity table and wiped his tears off, afraid to look in the mirror but a few seconds later he gained courage and he looked up. 

He was bleeding from his face--a cut above his eyebrow--and his cheek was red and swollen. It would likely be bruised again. Carlos lifted his shirt and frowned when he noticed deep scrapes along his ribs where Cruella’s heels had dug into him. Carlos wiped his eyes, hoping to clear all his tears away so he could work on fixing himself up, but then another onslaught of emotions came over him and he began to sob again.

Nearly an hour later he fixed himself up the best he could and cleaned up the little closet. Then he took out his comforter and blue silk pillow and set them up neatly before climbing in and promptly falling asleep. The last thing he thought of before drifting off was the pudding cup that he ate and how good it tasted. He didn’t know if it was because the pudding itself, or because it was given to him by Jay.

Either way, it was a nice thought, and instead of nightmare fuel, he’d gotten a pretty decent sleep.

* * *

 

Carlos skipped three days of school--forcefully--before finally being allowed outside. He was thankful for the opportunity to finally get caught up in Science. 

In Enrichment class he felt like he was in another world. Jay sat next to him, seemingly concentrated. He looked like he was paying attention, since this was his favorite class, but in reality he was writing notes to Carlos the entire time.

Their class was teaching about the art of thievery but Carlos wasn’t exactly paying any attention himself. He read through the note that Jay sent him. The first two had been about stupid things like the girls he managed to mess with that day but the one he held in his hand was much more serious.

_**Was it Cruella?** _

Carlos had a notion of what he was referring to but he chose to play stupid and stall as much as he could before replying back. He thought his wounds were healing up nicely but he supposed Jay had a good eye for things like that.

_**What do you mean?** _

Jay didn’t even have to wait for the reply, since he was reading over his shoulder and instead of writing back another note he sidled up to Carlos and nudged at him. He didn’t want to look at him directly, because then he could see the extent of the damage on his face but if he avoided him then Jay would think something was wrong.

He nudged at him again.

“I mean was it your mom that did,” he nodded at Carlos’ face, “ _that._ ”

Carlos very nearly rolled his eyes but he stopped himself before he could and gave a small, uninterested shrug. “Yeah, so what.”

Jay didn’t move or say anything but he did finally grab his chin and spin his face in his direction, looking at the injuries left to right. “Last week too, huh?” he asked curiously. Carlos swatted his hand away and hung his head.

“I said so what. Doesn’t everyone’s parents do that once in awhile,” Carlos whispered, crossing his arms over his chest protectively.

“Not mine,” he mentioned. “Not Evie’s, or Mal’s--and her mom is the most powerful and evil on the island.”

“Well I can’t do anything about it,” Carlos mumbled. “So leave it alone, alright?”

Jay observed him a little more and then Dr. Facilier called for group work and they were free to talk loudly. “Does she do anything else to you?” Jay asked nonchalantly. It seemed like he was trying to cover up for his worry but even Carlos could see through that. 

“That’s none of your business.”

“Carlos-”

“Save it Jay,” he grunted. “What happens in Hell Hall is my problem and that’s all there is to it.”

Carlos could tell Jay was stuck. They were both supposed to be evil. He wasn’t raised to go asking around about people’s injuries and he certainly wasn’t supposed to feel bad for him. He furrowed his eyebrows, and then just like that, the concern was gone. Jay didn’t even stay for the rest of the class, he just got up and walked out. Dr. Facilier said nothing but he did look proud to see him breaking some rules. Carlos didn’t seem him for the rest of the school day.

 

* * *

That night as he walked back down the street from picking up some first aid supplies from Evie he noticed there was a darkened form standing right in front of his house. Jay leaned up against the gates of Hell Hall, his head back and his hair up in a lazy bun. His hands were stuffed in his pockets once again and he looked at the sky absentmindedly.

“Hey,” Carlos greeted. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh hey,” he gave Carlos a friendly fist bump. “I was waiting for you to get home. I wanted to know if you wanted to hang at the Slop Shop tonight.”

“Oh,” Carlos nodded. “Uh, I would, b-but I just, I need to be home.”

“You don’t have to worry about her,” Jay motioned to the house. “I told her Goblin barge had a huge shipment of fur coats at the docks and nobody was claiming them.”

Carlos’ eyes lit up at the genius idea but a bit of anxiety crawled at his skin for when she would realize the lie. 

“That will keep her searching for a day or two. Just relax, okay?” he asked, and motioned his head towards the shops. “It’s no fun when you’re jumping around all the time like a shrimp.”

“Shrimp,” Carlos muttered. “That’s a new one.”

Jay shrugged with a grin and began to walk but Carlos stopped him immediately. “Wait, I don’t want to go to the Slop Shop. I want to stay here.”

He turned around to look at Hell Hall, confused. “I lied so you’d be able to get out of there, why would you want to stay?”

“No, I-” Carlos hesitated. “I mean, I want to stay in the tree house and watch T.V. My mother never lets me have free time if she can help it, but all my books and experiments are in there and it’s really cozy and warm, so-”

“I know, I know. You already got me sold,” Jay laughed. “Let’s go, it beats arguing with a bunch of goblins at this time of night.”

They entered the tree house and it looked exactly the same as the last time he was up there, except a few things had been moved around. “Watch the chemicals,” Carlos warned. Jay didn’t really heed his warning but the neon-colored liquid inside of the glass beakers, vials and jars was enough warning for him and he flopped comfortably on the little makeshift couch in the corner where the television set was at.

Carlos sat down next to him, and for once he gave a carefree sigh and tilted his head back against Jay’s arm. The other just watched him as he tiredly closed and opened his eyes. He blinked slowly at first, and then not at all. His eyelids closed, his lashes fluttering softly. Jay didn’t know how to turn on the television so he sat there in the quiet of the night listening to Carlos breathe. Surprisingly, the sound of him wasn’t boring at all. 

The thing that bothered him the most was probably the bruising on Carlos’ face and the cut on his eye. It filled him with rage, and he didn’t exactly know why.

He leaned his head against Carlos as he, too, felt fatigue start to set in, and the two drifted off into a dreamless, heavy sleep.


	3. I Don't Fall

_No matter how often I think I can’t stand it anymore, I always do. There is no alternative._  
_I don’t fall, I don’t foam at the mouth, faint, collapse, or die. It’s the same for all of us._  
_You can’t get out of the inside of your head. Something keeps you going._  
_Something always does._

_-Janice Galloway_

* * *

Growing up on the Isle was hell.

That’s all Carlos could think as he sat on the rooftop of a dusty old building with a view of the whole market. People bustled back and forth, some wearing a cheap mock up of the extravagant clothes they used to wear, some wearing close to nothing at all. They yelled and screamed at each other.

“This way! Guns, hats and clams!”

Carlos made a disgusted face and looked away to the next tent, “Diamonds, real diamonds here! Straight from the Kingdom of Auradon!”

He focused his eyes on the obviously fake jewelry but none of the curious people surrounding the place seemed to notice, and if they did they sure didn’t care. Carlos spotted a few thieves loitering around the tent. Harry hooked a necklace, literally, and took off down the market with the owner hot on his tail as Gil shoveled the fake jewelry into his shirt while nobody was looking. Pieces fell through and he too took off in the same exact direction as Harry and the tent owner. Carlos rolled his eyes at the stupidity.

He spied a distinct head of long, straight, slightly tangled hair heading towards the chaos, slinking like a well-trained thief and strolled on by. He was barely detected, and as he emerged from the other side of the crowd he was smirking victoriously. Carlos was sure he got what he wanted.

The next row was selling rotten fruit and that was about all the marketplace had to offer. Cruella had returned home a week ago coatless and very angry so he’d been hiding out around the Isle as much as he could. He slept in an empty room in Evie’s castle but he’d been kicked out multiple times. He lied and said that he broke in to cover for her but that didn’t change the fact that he was still caught. Cruella heard about that too and she certainly wasn’t happy.

Moreover he preferred sleeping in his treehouse on the couch, next to Jay. It was surprisingly warm though, probably only because of the extra body heat. The day when he woke up in the treehouse alone was a bit saddening. He thought he would stay conscious long enough to share a few jokes with Jay and play his new board game that he found, although it was missing a few pieces. Instead when he woke up it was nearly dawn and he was completely alone.

They didn’t talk much after that day for some reason and the only time they hung out was when it was in a group with Mal and Evie. He figured Jay preferred to run with Harry and Gil, or really anybody _but_ him. Carlos was too good, he guessed. Or maybe he just lacked some sort of evil, which seemed about right too.

Carlos watched Jay walk for a bit, down the market, until he disappeared again.

He turned around and headed off the building. It was getting a bit dark to be hanging around the parts he was but he’d figured out a lot of shortcuts to get back to Hell Hall, not that he was planning on going back tonight. He heard Cruella was out somewhere again so it didn’t really matter where he went. He was a collarless dog at the moment. 

Carlos shivered.

He felt more frightened than free but on the Isle that was as good as it got. You were either the ruler or the ruled. He could just hear Cruella screaming about something right now. Anything made her angry these days.

He headed down the metal ladder, his red and black boots landing firmly on the damp concrete below. He turned and that’s when he seen them. Four men, heavier than him, taller, older, and much, much more intimidating all stared at him. Two of them looked like they were half-conscious but the others were alert and ready for trouble. Carlos considered heading back up the ladder but he knew he’d be stuck up there if he did.

Spinning on his heels he quickly headed the other way but the men called out to him, almost teasing. “Hey, pretty boy! Where you headed?”

Carlos ignored them, walking at a brisk pace. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. Surprisingly the first person he tried to mimic was Jay. The guy was suave, cool, and knew how to get out of sticky situations. A complete 180 to his own personality.

“So you’re ignoring us now, huh.” 

He listened as a pair of footsteps followed him. He broke off into a light jog when a shapely woman emerged from one of the back doors. She ran into him and both of them knocked into each other.

Carlos looked up, rubbing his chin. She had bouncy red curls and small lips. She was a heavy woman with a charming look in her eyes. “Hi baby boy, what are you doing on this side of the Isle?”

“Stop him!” The men called out and the redhead frowned and slung an arm around Carlos.

“Now, now. Why do you want to mess with such a cute kid, huh?” the woman asked. “All you gotta do is fork over some cash for a little bit of me.” She winked at the man who’s sidekick howled in laughter.

“Jimmy here wants nothing he can’t have for free!” 

The redhead rolled her eyes and pursed her red lips. “I think I’ll keep him.” She held Carlos at an arm’s length away, looking him up and down. “He’s a pretty one, ain’t he? He’ll do this business some good. What do you say honey?”

Carlos struggled to be let free but she had an iron grip on his arm. He wanted to say a lot of things but all of them would most likely get him killed.

“We saw him first,” Jimmy growled and gripped onto Carlos’ shoulder, digging his grimy fingernails into his jacket.

“Oh I can imagine what you lot will do to a boy like this, so fuck off!” She pulled Carlos into her side. The material of her dress scratched him uncomfortably. “He’s mine!”

“Look at his clothes you boneheads,” another man from down the alley burped out. “That’s Cruella De Vil’s pet. I wouldn’t go touching that thing unless you want to get wrapped up with that psycho.”

Jimmy backed off almost immediately but the redhead stayed, pursing her lips and humming. “That would make him worth much more!” she smiled.

“You can’t have him,” a familiar voice rang out from down the alley. He walked further toward them. “Hey there Jen.”

“Jay, my lovely!” she turned on the charm immediately for him. Carlos let out a sigh of relief but he still shivered beneath the stare of the woman and two men who preyed on him. Jay walked past the guys who were stalking Carlos, bumping into them rudely and glaring. 

“I’ll need him back,” Jay slung his arm over Carlos. “This one is mine.”

“Oh, that’s fine sugar! I didn’t know he was with you.” Jen smiled flirtily at Jay and then blew a kiss to Jimmy who retreated back down the alley where he was originally. “See you boys later,” she called and ducked back through the side door.

“Let’s go,” Jay growled and pushed Carlos. “What the fuck were you thinking hanging out around here?”

Carlos didn’t answer but he did meld himself into Jay’s side, sticking to him like glue as they passed all the people who were watching them curiously. Carlos thought the area would be clean enough to slip by without getting harassed but he’d almost been kidnapped and forced into prostitution all in a span of three minutes. He couldn’t even really think. 

“You’re lucky as hell I was there to stop that,” Jay muttered. 

They finally emerged out onto one of the main streets where there were more people lingering about. They walked for a bit, with Jay looking absolutely pissed off.

“How did you know her?” Carlos asked curiously. The shock of what happened weared off almost immediately. Jay looked over, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw set into a permanent clench.

“Just shut up,” he hissed.

As if Carlos had been given a direct order from his mother, he sealed his mouth closed and hung his head. The immediate reaction wasn’t lost upon Jay who observed the behavior closely. He held his tongue until they were back at the shop.

When they arrived Jay collapsed on his carpet, sighing. Carlos lowered himself down apprehensively and sat cross-legged next to him. 

“Fucking hell, Carlos,” he growled. “Don’t you understand what could’ve happened to you if I wasn’t there?”

Carlos shrugged. Jay looked at him in disbelief.

“Are you kidding me?” he raised his voice. “Do you really not know or are you just fucking around?”

“I don’t know,” Carlos mumbled. He felt like he was being lectured by Yen Sid for not finishing his science project.

“Don’t go hanging around there anymore man, do you hear me? That Jen is no good and Jimmy is even worse.” Jay sat up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “They could’ve done bad things to you Carlos. Really bad things.”

“Jen seemed alright,” Carlos said, but only to illicit a reaction from Jay. He liked to see him become almost worried over of him. Nobody else ever was. 

“No,” he seethed. “She’s not.” Jay seemed to be holding on to his last shred of sanity as he clenched his fist over and over again. “She’s selfish and evil just like everybody else on this island. She would’ve sold you to dirty old men and women every night without a single regret.”

“At least I’d be away from my mother,” Carlos shrugged.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Jay asked. “You would’ve ended up dead in that same alleyway after being thoroughly used. Dead, Carlos. No more science experiments, no more of those shitty shows from Auradon, and no more-”

“No more Cruella,” Carlos muttered, seemingly in a daze.

“No more anything!” Jay broke, shaking Carlos. “No more me! No more of that pudding you love! Nothing! When it’s over, that’s it! If there ever comes a day when we get off this island you wouldn’t be alive to see it. It would be over.”

Carlos looked into Jay’s eyes with his own puppy-dog ones. His brown eyes shimmered as he finally realized the situation he’d escaped from. It all crashed down on him. The Isle, the people of the Isle, and the children trapped on it.

“I’m sorry,” Carlos rubbed at his eyes. He really didn’t want to cry but it’d come out before he could stop it.

“Fuck, man,” Jay pushed at his shoulder. “Don’t apologize and don’t cry, okay? I just needed you to understand the danger of that situation. You should be more careful.”

“I will,” Carlos sniffled. “I just wanted to watch the market from the top of the building and I didn’t realize it would be so dangerous when I got down.”

“I got it, I got it. I’ll take you to a better spot next time, okay? Just don’t go there again.”

Carlos nodded and a sudden silence fell over them. The only sound was of Jay’s nervous knuckle-cracking and Carlos’ sad sniffles. That was probably the first time that he’d ever seen a villain kid cry. At least in front of him, anyway. He probably had no idea what to do about it.

“You never-” Carlos hiccuped embarrassingly and he flushed a dark shade of red. “You never answered my question.”

“What question?” Jay asked.

“How do you know them? That lady and that guy?”

Jay gave a heavy sigh and sat back with his hands placed firmly on the carpet beneath him. He didn’t immediately answer but he seemed to think for a little while, almost like he was sorting through memories.

“I used to steal from them a long time ago and then moved on to stealing _for_ them in exchange for stuff. I won’t be doing that anymore though.”

“You don’t have to stop just because I got involved.”

“No, they’re scum anyway. I should’ve stopped a long time ago.”

Carlos sighed and played with his fingers. They were stained black from some residue from the ladder.

“I think I’m gonna go now.” Carlos moved to stand up but Jay stopped him.

“Stay out of trouble, De Vil,” Jay warned. “I mean it.”

Carlos gave a short nod, ignoring the flutter in his chest, and left the shop.


End file.
